Cleveland HVAC Blog

15 Heating Season Tips - Part 2

As the days keep getting colder, our furnaces and boilers run even more. In Part 2 of our series we’ll look at the next five items you can do to get the most from your heating system this winter.

6. Turn on your humidifier

For most humidifiers (typically the bypass type), when they are set to the “on” or “winter” mode, moisture is added to your air every time the blower runs. Now is the time to change the setting to make sure you don’t suffer from winter dryness symptoms like dry skin, static shocks and nosebleeds.

7. Open your supply registers

Take the time to check that each supply in your home is fully open and not loose. You would be surprised at how often we see rooms that aren’t heating well where this was the problem. Some children love to play with the damper lever, and we have even seen situations where contractors closed the damper while working in the home and forgot to open it again when they were done.

8. Let the sun shine in

Make your windows work for you. Opening the drapes on the sunny side of your home can really warm things up. (Dogs and cats know this, that’s why they sleep there!) Once the sun has moved to the other side of the home, closing an insulated drape can help keep the cold air out. You may even want to remove your screens as they block about 25% of solar radiation.

9. Get a Home Performance Assessment

You’ll get the most out of your heating system if you keep that nice, warm air inside your home. Determine where your home’s efficiency can be improved with a depressurization test and infrared camera. It’s a real eye opener!

10. Rethink your basement remodel

Your furnace or boiler might not be great to look at, but they need to “breathe” to work properly. Finishing a basement by building a small room around your equipment can really cause problems. You can make it difficult to service the equipment/perform repairs, reduce efficiency and insufficient combustion air in the room can cause serious health/safety issues.

If you have an idea we don’t mention, please let us know. We’ll make sure to pass your good ideas on so we can all get the most out of our furnaces and boilers this winter.

Check back next week to get the final five tips, and feel free to contact P.K. Wadsworth Heating & Cooling with questions.

Kim Nemecek works at P.K. Wadsworth Heating & Cooling. After growing up in Cleveland, she lived in Florida for many years, working at an air conditioning company there. Kim has four grown children, two grandchildren and two spoiled dogs. She lives in Solon with her husband, Todd.

The opinions and statements contained in this article are for general informational purposes only and are not instructions. Only trained, licensed and experienced personnel should attempt installation/repair. The author assumes no liability for the opinions/statements made in this article. Any individual attempting a repair or installation based on this article does so at their own risk of loss.

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Welcome! Read our latest posts or explore the archives. You’ll find tips for how to maintain your HVAC equipment to discussions about indoor air quality, conserving energy and saving money, and information about emerging technologies in heating and air conditioning. Bookmark our blog.